1. Field of the Invention
A communications system using a plurality of cellular phone devices each having an integrated PDA and CPU and a GPS receiver for the management of two or more people through the use of a communications network. The method and system provide each user with an integrated handheld cellular/PDA/GPS (cell phone device) includes a touch screen display and advanced communication software application programs (hereinafter referred to as ACS) and databases used in conjunction with a remote server that enable an administrator or user to modify all network participants' cell phone devices' display soft switches and symbology.
2. Description of Related Art
The purpose of a communications system is to transmit information bearing analog and digital messages from a source, located at one point, to a user destination, located at another point some distance away. A communications system is generally comprised of three basic elements: transmitter, information channel and receiver. One form of communication in recent years is cellular phone telephony. A network of cellular communication systems set up around an area such as the United States allows multiple users to talk to each other, either on individual calls or on group calls. Some cellular phone services enable a cellular phone to engage in conference calls with a small number of users. Furthermore, cellular conference calls can be established through 800 number services. Cellular telephony also now includes systems that include Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation that utilizes satellite navigation. These devices thus unite cellular phone technology with navigation information, computer information transmission and receipt of data.
The method and operation of communication devices used herein are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,728 which is hereby incorporated by reference and pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/308,648.
Each cell phone device includes a touch screen display that includes virtual control switches for the operation of the network communication and the ACS software programs. The virtually displayed switches on the touch screen are called soft switches. Each soft switch or matrix of soft switches are labeled or use abbreviations to convey information as to function.
The display screen on each cell phone device is typically a geographical display such as a chart or map of the network operating area that contains the active participants. The touch screen display can generate symbols that indicate participants, objects or events of current actions or activities. Thus, a screen could symbolically show a fireman, a fire truck and the location of a fire in real time. The symbols are the same on all user's cell phone devices. Each user can transmit or receive data correlated to specific symbols and utilizing specific soft switches that can be labeled for specific functions such as alerting other users to call all firemen in an area to a current fire. Thus, each cell phone device can be custom programmed for specific operational environments through its virtual soft switches and symbols generated and displayed for certain people, objects and events.
Using the invention described herein, a designated administrator using a personal computer (PC) or other input device can reprogram all user and network participants' cell phone devices to change, modify or create new virtual switch names and new symbols for a different operating environment.
An advantageous provision would be to provide a cell phone software program that provides the system administrator the ability to generate display symbology and add or redefine the local and remote cell phone devices' soft switches that specify the symbols for all network participants for a specific environment such as a military, police, fire and other emergency environments.